Searching for Family
by shahofblah
Summary: Blaine has finally aged out of the foster care system and made it to New York and NYADA against all odds. He has a strong support system made of Kurt and his final foster family, who ended up becoming a real family to him. But there is one thing that Blaine has always wanted, and that is his own family. He is about to take matters into his own hands and begin searching...
1. The Registry

Here it is, the sequel to _Searching for Home_! This is considerably shorter and a bit of a future fic. Although it is a sequel, you don't necessarily need to have read the first as everything important from the other is explained in time. I still recommend you read _Searching for Home_, though! I also have written a few drabbles that take place after the end of this one, and I'm always accepting prompts - including prompts that take place _during _either story! (Basically, **send me prompts** for anything that takes place before, during, or after _Searching for Home _or _Searching for Family_, and if I write it, I'll add it to that doc _and_ credit you!)

Enjoy and thanks for all the support I've received here and on AO3!

Summary: Blaine has finally aged out of the foster care system and made it to New York and NYADA against all odds. He has a strong support system made up of his boyfriend, Kurt, and his final foster family, who ended up becoming a real family to him. But there is one thing that Blaine has always wanted, and that is his own family. He is about to take matters into his own hands and begin searching.

* * *

When Blaine was younger and had a fantastic vision of his future, he'd expected that his mother and father would come and rescue him from Greenway.

When he was in his preteen years, he became jaded and realized that was never going to happen.

As a teenager, Blaine entertained the idea of going online to try to find his birth mother. He'd read stories about it happening all the time.

But when Blaine turned 18, he was perfectly happy with his family. He loved them just as much – maybe even more – that he could ever love the woman who had given him up. He knew that was being unfair to the 16 year old girl, but his time in the system hadn't exactly been easy.

But after spending one year in college, and almost three years with the Warrens as his family, Blaine knew that they wouldn't be insulted if he initiated a search. And he was truly curious.

* * *

One day in the middle of June, Blaine and Kurt sat in front of Kurt's laptop, ready to plug all the information they knew into the database.

"Are you positive you want to go through with this?" Kurt asked Blaine for probably the hundredth time since Blaine had first mentioned it.

"Yes, Kurt, I'm sure. Just because I find out her name doesn't mean I have to go see her."

"Okay, I was just making sure. And just remember that you might not find her. Something may have happened. Or it could cause a lot of emotional stress. Are you sure you're ready?"

"Kurt," Blaine warned. "I'm doing this. With or without you. Do you want to give me a reason to kick you out of your own room?"

"Fine, fine," Kurt said loftily. "Start typing."

First, Blaine inputted his last name – Anderson. It had to be his birth mother's name, right? Or maybe his father's?

Then, the hospital name: Lima Memorial.

"You were born in Lima?" Kurt asked, surprised.

Blaine nodded. "I only just found out, too. I'd never really thought about all this information before."

He next typed in his birth date and time, and birth length and weight.

There had been an agency trying to facilitate his adoption before all the potential parents had dropped out when hearing about his health problems – Ohio Adoption Services.

Next came the other information OAS had given Blaine when he'd called. It was mostly stuff he knew about his mother – 16, student, healthy, brown hair and green eyes.

It wasn't much to go by, but since Blaine hadn't been adopted, there was no one he could go to to ask about his first moments.

Once all the information was in the registry, Blaine pressed submit and the waiting game began.

* * *

Months passed, and Blaine almost forgot. Kurt certainly seemed to. But every time Blaine got an email from one of the registry's sponsors, his heart jumped, thinking it was his mother.

Right before winter break, in the middle of finals, Blaine got an email from the registry. It looked like a form letter, but the further Blaine read, the more excited he became and the less he cared about his vocal jury that was supposed to take place in less than 24 hours.

_Dear Mr. Anderson,_

_The People Search Registry has connected you with a potential relative. If you would like to proceed, follow the link listed at the end of the email._

_Thank you and have a pleasant day._

Blaine knew that Kurt was across campus at dance rehearsal, so he grabbed his computer and sprinted to the studio. He banged open the doors not caring that he was disrupting an entire class of people.

"Kurt," he gasped, "they found her!"

Kurt's eyes bugged out of his head. "Oh my god, Blaine!"

He ran over to his boyfriend, ditching his classmates without a second thought. Blaine rebooted his computer. When the email loaded again, Blaine let the cursor hover over the link.

"Are you gonna do it?" Kurt asked.

"I … I don't know," Blaine admitted. "I thought I was ready, but now I'm not sure. What if she's not what I expected?"

"Blaine, I'm not going to tell you what to do," Kurt said reasonably. "But I will leave you with this: You can look at the name and info and leave it there. You don't have to meet her if you don't want to."

Blaine nodded. "Right. You're absolutely right."

He clicked on the link.

It took the page a few seconds to load, but when it did, Blaine was presented with the profile of his birth mother.

_Name: Melanie Larson (nee Anderson)_

_Age: 36_

_Location: Pennsylvania, USA_

_Occupation: Administrative Assistant_

_Family: Married, 2 kids_

_click here if you would like to contact Melanie and to visit her extended profile._

Blaine stared at the screen numbly for a few minutes.

"She has a family," he said.

"Blaine..."

"No, Kurt. She has a family. Two kids. If she wanted kids so bad, she could have just gone looking for me. She obviously just didn't want me. You were right. This was a bad idea."

Blaine slammed the computer shut and ran back to his dorm. He didn't respond when Kurt came by later, nor did he leave for breakfast. In fact, he didn't leave his room until the absolute last minute before he had to be at his jury.

He was silent and his eyes were red and puffy as he rode with Kurt and Rachel to the airport.

Mark, Elise, and Callie picked him up at the airport. As soon as Blaine saw them, he put on a facade of happiness and rode away.


	2. Hear Your Voice

Guys, I don't know what to say. I had 28 emails waiting for me when I got home from work yesterday. TWENTY-EIGHT. Whoa! Thank you all so much for the support!

* * *

When Kurt got home, he began researching Melanie Larson. When he discovered that she'd attended McKinley (thank god for online newspaper archives), he drove straight to his old high school. Kurt spent the afternoon studying old yearbooks. Sure enough, in the 1994-1995 yearbook, there was a visible baby bump in all the pictures of her from first semester. Kurt even found her in an old glee club photo.

That made him curious, so he went back two years – to 1992-1993 – to see if she was in the club during Mr. Schue's senior year, the last time the club had won Nationals.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Schue," Kurt called, catching his old teacher in the hallway.

"Hi Kurt," Will greeted. "Back for Christmas?"

"Yeah. Listen, do you remember a girl named Melanie Anderson from when you were in glee club? She would have been a freshman the year you guys won Nationals."

"Um, sure, I think I remember her," Mr. Schuester said. "Not very much, though. Like you said, she was a freshman and I was a senior."

"I know, but what can you tell me about her?"

"Um, well, she was a pretty good singer. Very shy, but a big voice. Brown hair, kind of cute. I think she might have played tennis, too. Her family was pretty well off, pretty religious – A bit like Quinn's actually."

Kurt's eyes widened with the new information. "Thanks Mr. Schue."

"Sure, Kurt. Hey – can you tell me what this is all about?"

"Not right now. Maybe not ever. But if I can, I will."

Will looked perplexed as Kurt ran off.

* * *

Kurt didn't see or hear from Blaine until Christmas Eve day. He was beginning to worry until he received a call from Blaine inviting him and his family for dinner that night. Kurt readily accepted but was disappointed when Blaine made no mention of the information about his mother.

Blaine had finally caved during his freshman year at NYADA and purchased a pay-as-you-go cell phone, much like Ethan's. He rarely gave out the number, though, because he couldn't afford to pay an expensive bill every month. So when it started ringing in the middle of the meal, he was surprised and answered it immediately.

"Hello?" he asked, confused that he didn't even recognize the number.

"Blaine Anderson?" a female voice asked.

"Yes..."

There was a breathy chuckle from the other end of the line. "Wow. It's amazing to hear your voice."

"I'm sorry, but who is this?" he asked, thoroughly perplexed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for getting ahead of myself. I'm Melanie Larson."

Blaine froze. For some reason, he had never considered the fact that the website would connect his mother to him as well.

From the dinner table, Kurt saw Blaine tense up. "Blaine? Is everything okay?"

Blaine shook his head at Kurt and responded to the woman on the phone. "I'm sorry, but this isn't a good time. I'm just … I'm just not ready for this."

"Oh. Okay, of course. I'm sorry to have rushed this," Melanie said apologetically. There was a hint of disappointment there too. "Call me whenever you're ready, Blaine. Merry Christmas."

Blaine hung up the phone and collapsed on to the floor.

Kurt was at his side in seconds. "Blaine, honey, are you okay?"

Blaine was sobbing and shaking his head.

"Who was that on the phone?" This time it was Elise speaking.

Blaine hiccoughed a bit and refused to make eye contact when he answered. "That was my – my mother."

* * *

Dinner was forgotten immediately. After Kurt took Blaine back to his room to sleep, he went to talk with the parents.

"What's going on, Kurt?" Burt asked.

"A few months ago, Blaine decided to try to connect with his birth mother. Last week, he got an email saying that they found her. But he wasn't as ready as he thought he was, especially when he saw that she had two kids. And I guess she tried to contact him tonight. As you could see, it didn't go too well."

"Did you know about this?" Burt asked Mark and Elise.

"He had mentioned being interested in finding his birth mother to us, but he never told us that he went through with it. Poor thing," Elise said.

"I'm gonna go back by him, okay?" Kurt said. "Sorry about dinner by the way."

"It's not a problem, Kurt. Tell Blaine that we don't mind at all," Mark said kindly.

Kurt met Ethan in the hall as he headed to the back bedroom.

"Hey man," Ethan said. "I was thinking about sleeping on the couch tonight."

Kurt gave him a questioning look.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious that he's going to need you here tonight. So I thought I'd give you some space."

Kurt thanked Ethan profusely, explained everything to his parents, Mark, and Elise, and curled up around Blaine in the boy's bed. Although Blaine was deeply asleep, his body still curled into Kurt's as soon as he felt the other boy's presence.

Kurt woke up early the next morning. He really didn't want to leave Blaine alone, but he did have to get back to his own family for Christmas. As quietly as he could, he slid out of Blaine's embrace and began to gather his things.

"Merry Christmas, love," he whispered, kissing Blaine on the forehead. "I'll talk to you soon."

* * *

When Blaine woke up an hour later, it took him a moment to remember why he felt so hollow and sick. The memory of Kurt curling around him last night did help him gain the courage to actually stand up.

He left his room and was almost immediately accosted by a very excited Callie.

"Merry Christmas, Blaine!" the eight-year-old squealed gleefully. "We're going to open presents soon, mommy and daddy said I just had to wait for you!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, bud."

"It's okay, I was going to wake you up anyway."

Blaine laughed. "Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer, Callie. Let's get to those presents."

Blaine spent the morning laughing and smiling with his family, but everyone could tell that there was something missing behind it. Once all the presents had been opened, he announced that Kurt was coming to pick him up.

To his surprise, however, Kurt didn't take Blaine to his house. Instead they ended up at an apartment complex on the other side of Lima.

"What are we doing here, Kurt?" Blaine asked warily.

"I need to show you something," Kurt said cryptically.

They knocked on a door and it opened moments later to reveal Mr. Schuester.

"Thanks for letting us come, Mr. Schue," Kurt said.

"No problem, Kurt."

Kurt led the other two men into the living room where Miss Pillsbury was cleaning up the christmas paper. Kurt dropped his backpack on the table and pulled out four old McKinley High yearbooks.

"What...?" Blaine asked.

Suddenly, things began to click in Will's head. The questions Kurt had asked about Melanie Anderson. The timing all worked out. Could she be Blaine's mother?

"I wasn't going to show you this unless you decided to contact Melanie," Kurt said slowly. "But after last night, I decided that you should know."

Blaine looked confused and a little panicky.

"I know I had been the one telling you not to go looking for your mother, but as soon as I saw the name, I began researching her. Just in case you ever did want to meet her. I found out that she actually attended McKinley when she lived in Lima. Her freshman year, she was also in the glee club."

Will took this as his cue to begin speaking. He relayed all the information he had given Kurt just a few days earlier and even inserted a few stories that he had completely forgotten about until Kurt had gotten him thinking again.

Kurt picked up the 1993 yearbook and held it out to Blaine. "I marked a few pages," he said.

Blaine opened it gingerly. Near the top of the freshman class was a picture of a young girl named Melanie. There was something about her that really did seem so familiar.

"Here's her sophomore yearbook," Kurt said, holding out the 1994 volume.

Blaine saw the girl again, looking slightly older. She was playing tennis in a few pictures. She always seemed to be surrounded by other smiling girls. Never any boys.

"And this is from her junior year."

Blaine opened to the first picture Kurt had marked to see Melanie again. But this time she was alone, eating lunch in the cafeteria, and sporting a huge baby bump.

He gently ran his finger down the page. Kurt could see tears threatening to spill over.

"Blaine, I sincerely believe that she thought she was doing what she thought was best. If her family was like Quinn's like Mr. Schue said, they would have thoroughly disapproved of her pregnancy. Actually having you was probably more than enough internal strife for a family. Plus, you said she wanted a closed adoption which means that she never knew you weren't adopted. She probably thought you were happily living as someone else's kid and that's why she didn't go looking to adopt you when she had kids."

"Why are you doing this, Kurt?" Blaine asked, looking slightly hurt. "Why are you defending her?"

"I'm not defending her, Blaine. I'm 100% on your side. I'm just trying to help you figure this out."

"I can't, Kurt. I just – can't. I thought I was ready to meet her, but I don't want to mess up everything I have. Or everything she has."

"Blaine, you wouldn't be messing _anything_ up. You and she would both be gaining family. From where I'm standing, that's a blessing more than anything else."

Blaine shook his head and turned back to the yearbooks. "You know, she was always with girls, other than the glee club."

Kurt seemed to pick up where Blaine was going. "You could always ask her."

"I can't, Kurt. Not yet."


	3. Philadelphia

Kurt let the matter rest. Blaine seemed to go a step further and pretended that he still had no mother. But when they went to regional theatre summer stock auditions in Philadelphia in February, Kurt brought Melanie up once again.

"You know," Kurt said over lunch on Friday afternoon, their first full day in Philly, "Melanie's profile said she lived in Pennsylvania."

"So?" Blaine asked.

"So, maybe you should call her. See her. It'll be ten times easier to do it in person rather than over the phone."

"Kurt, you know I - "

"Blaine, if you do this one thing for me, and it doesn't go how you wanted it to, I will never bring Melanie up again. Ever. But, please, just call her. Blaine, I would give anything to be able to see my mother again – my biological mother and Elizabeth. But they're dead and I don't have that chance anymore. You do." Kurt knew it was a dick move to play the "both of my mothers are dead card" but it had to be done.

Blaine sighed. "Fine," he said, pulling out his phone.

* * *

Saturday night, Blaine walked to a Starbucks in Philadelphia, just a few blocks from the hotel where the rest of the NYADA students were staying. He ordered himself a coffee, just to have something to do with his hands, and sat at a table and waited. Every time the door opened, he would look up, hoping for it to be Melanie. Their meeting time had almost passed when a woman came rushing through the door. She looked around, and when she saw Blaine sitting alone in the back, she rushed over.

"Blaine?" she asked breathless.

Blaine didn't stand, smile, or offer his hand. He only nodded.

Her face broke into a huge smile. "You're so big," she gushed. "And so handsome, too. I never imagined – but you're here."

Blaine just nodded curtly.

"So, do you want to talk?" Melanie asked uncomfortably.

"Look, I don't really want to be here," Blaine finally said. "The only reason I called was because my boyfriend forced me to, saying I'd regret it forever if I didn't. So here I am."

"Boyfriend?" Melanie asked with a shy smile.

"Yeah. And if you have a problem with that, I'm getting up right now."

"No – not at all!" Melanie rushed to say. "I never considered, but that's – that's wonderful. What's his name?"

"Kurt."

"I'm happy you found someone."

There was another awkward silence while Blaine sipped his lukewarm coffee.

"Do your – parents know that you're meeting me?" Melanie asked hesitantly.

Blaine laughed. "Don't have any." He felt a little bad for the Warrens who were like parents to him, but the statement was true enough.

She immediately looked concerned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I was never adopted," Blaine said.

"But – but the agency said that there were plenty of parents lined up. Everyone wanted a baby boy."

"They wanted a healthy baby," Blaine shot back bitterly. "Not one who might die in his first six months. Not one who would come with tons of expensive hospital bills."

"What do you mean?" Melanie asked, aghast.

"The entire right side of my heart was undeveloped when I was born," Blaine said. "By the time I'd gone through all the surgeries that might save me, I was three. Most people didn't want a toddler, and those that did didn't want one with a medical history longer than he was tall."

"Blaine, I – I didn't know," Melanie said quietly.

"Of course you didn't!" Blaine exploded. "Because you abandoned me!"

"Blaine, please, I was sixteen years old. I hadn't even graduated high school. I couldn't take care of myself, much less an infant. My parents were furious that I'd even gotten pregnant. They wanted me to get an abortion, but I wanted to do what was best for you."

"So you left me to a bunch of strangers instead."

"No, Blaine, I didn't -"

"Maybe you should have gotten the abortion," Blaine said quietly, standing up. Melanie looked horrified, but she said nothing. "I don't even care anymore. I survived. I finally got out of all those shit homes and I got to New York. I don't need you, and I don't think I want to know you."

Blaine turned and walked away, leaving his coffee behind. Melanie dropped her head to the table and began to cry. She didn't even care about the gaping stares of strangers all around her.

Blaine stormed back into his hotel room and slammed the door. He was prepared to just collapse on his bed and pretend the last hour had never happened. But he hadn't expected his roommates to be in the room.

Kurt, Rachel, and their friend Tasha all looked up at him in shock when he came heaving and sobbing into the room. Only Kurt knew anything about where Blaine had been.

"How – how did it go?" Kurt asked tentatively.

"How do you think?"

"That bad, huh?"

"I told her she should have gotten an abortion," Blaine whispered so only Kurt could hear.

Kurt looked taken aback. "You don't really believe that, do you, Blaine?"

"Of course not. My life is shit, but I would never give you up."

"Good," Kurt said, taking his boyfriend in a deep embrace. "Now, shall we head down to the bar and have a few drinks and forget this whole night ever happened?"

Blaine nodded numbly.

Rachel and Tasha ended up accompanying them to the bar, and Tasha, being the only one who was actually legal, was sent to buy the alcohol.

"What's going on?" Rachel demanded as soon as Tasha was gone.

Blaine hesitated, but then remembered that Rachel had had her own share of Mama Drama a few years back. "I was just meeting with … my biological mother."

Rachel's eyes widened. "I thought you didn't know her," she whispered.

"I found her on one of those reunion websites a few months back."

"And?"

"And she has a family and a life and she doesn't need me."

"Come on, Blaine, did she really say that? I mean, if she was trying to find you, that has to mean something," Rachel said.

"Rach, she abandoned me. I could have died when I was born, and she didn't even care to ask."

"Blaine, we were all a bit stupid when we were 16," Kurt said levelly.

"Are you defending her, Kurt?" Blaine demanded.

"Of course not. I'm just saying that you might regret this in the future."

"I have all the family I need," Blaine said stubbornly. "I have you and your family and I have Mark and Elise and Callie and Ethan. I don't need Melanie just because she and I share DNA. It takes a lot more than that to be a family. I thought you'd understand that, Kurt."

"Of course I understand, Blaine. I just don't want you to act too rashly."

"Weren't you the one telling me this was a bad idea when I first suggested it?"

"Well, now that Melanie's reaching out to you, I don't really think it's a bad idea anymore."

Tasha came back with their drinks, so Blaine resolutely ignored Kurt while downing his in one gulp.

The two girls watched Blaine wide-eyed while Kurt tried to reign in his criticisms. "Fine, Blaine. Do whatever you want," Kurt said, walking away.

Blaine didn't seem to mind that his boyfriend had left, downing Kurt's drink for him instead.

* * *

Blaine was beyond hungover the next morning when they took their bus back to New York. He'd somehow managed to persuade Tasha to buy him another drink. When she and Rachel left, he had taken to flirting with the bartender until she overlooked the fact that he was still only 19.

Kurt was still giving Blaine the cold shoulder, and it had only been exacerbated when Blaine had come stumbling to their room at 3 in the morning, stinking of alcohol.

* * *

A week later, Blaine opened his email to find an interesting message:

_Hi Blaine,_

_I know you said you didn't want to see me, and I respect that. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Have a great day._

_Melanie_

For some reason, the email annoyed Blaine more than it should have. He wanted to hate this woman, but here she was doing exactly what he asked and remembering his birthday and being so nice.

He tried to go through his classes without thinking of her, but he was constantly distracted. So when Kurt approached Blaine about spring break plans, Blaine blurted out something that surprised both boys.

"I want to see Melanie," he said.


	4. Aftershocks

Melanie Larson was just packing up her bag at work when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Melanie? It's Blaine."

"Oh, Blaine!" she said, sitting down immediately. "How are you?"

"I'm … good. I'm good."

"That's great. Um, is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Can I see you again? My spring break is next week, and my boyfriend and I were going to go on a road trip. We could stop by you if you wanted."

"Yes! Yes, of course, I'd love to see you again," she gushed.

She gave him her address and they arranged a date and time. When she hung up, she felt a serenity settle in her.

* * *

When Blaine and Kurt arrived at Melanie's house, she was alone. She had made sure to send her husband and children out for the afternoon so as to not scare Blaine away. Plus, her kids still didn't know about their half-brother.

Blaine nervously knocked on the door, holding Kurt's hand tightly in his.

Melanie swung it open with a wide grin. "I'm so glad to see you again," she said. "And this must be … Kurt?" she asked.

Blaine wasn't speaking, so Kurt stepped forward. "Kurt Hummel. It's so nice to meet you Melanie."

"Come on in. Are you boys hungry? I've got some tea and food in the kitchen if you're interested."

Kurt politely declined so Melanie led them to the living room.

Blaine spent his time observing the house. It all felt very warm and welcoming and lived-in. It looked a bit like what he'd always imagined the perfect home to be. There was artwork hanging on the fridge and pictures of smiling children on the mantle.

"Are these your … kids?" he asked, looking at a picture of Melanie, a man, and two children.

"Yes," she said. "That's me, my husband Adam, my daughter Kathy – she's 10 now – and my son Jack – he's 8."

Blaine nodded and sat down. He didn't say anything, but he held Kurt's hand tightly.

"How long have you two been together?" Melanie asked.

"We dated for close to a year in high school when Blaine lived in my town, and then we got back together during his freshman year of college," Kurt explained.

"But we knew each other when we were kids, too," Blaine said. "Kurt's parents died, so he was sent to live in the home with me. But he was adopted." It sounded almost accusatory, but Melanie didn't flinch.

"That's really sweet," Melanie said. "Where are you from, Kurt?"

"Lima, Ohio," he answered.

Melanie almost choked on her water. "Really?"

Kurt smiled sweetly. "Yes, actually. We – I – did a bit of research on you. Turns out, you went to my high school. Blaine was there for almost a year, too. And we were in glee club there, just like you."

"Oh, they're still doing that?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you remember Will Schuester from when you were there? He's the director now. Led us to Nationals a few times. We won my senior year. I'm sure we would have won junior year, too, if Blaine could have gone."

"Wow, this brings up a lot of memories. Will Schuester. I think all the girls had a crush on him at one time or another," Melanie said.

Kurt laughed and Blaine cracked a small smile.

"Well, Blaine, why don't you tell me about yourself. You're at school in New York now?"

"Yeah. Thankfully I managed to convince them to give me a full ride since I couldn't afford college otherwise," Blaine said.

"Of – of course," Melanie stuttered. "What are you studying?"

"Musical theatre and composition. We go to a drama academy."

"Well, if you're ever performing, I'd love to see you," Melanie said. "If you want me there, of course."

In the silence that followed, Kurt quickly got up to use the bathroom. Melanie stared at Blaine – who resolutely looked away – for a few moments before speaking again.

"I really am sorry. If I had known anything, I would have tried to get you back once I got my life straightened out."

Blaine grunted in response.

"Would you mind – telling me? About your childhood?"

Blaine looked up, a little surprised. "I lived at the Greenway Home for years. Then they started putting me in foster homes. 9 in total. It sucked. I got beat up at school because I was a freak whose parents didn't want him and I was gay. I met Kurt and my deadbeat foster parents left me alone when my social worker was there, so I was moved. I ended up at a pretty good place. I still stay with them over breaks. That's about it."

"Blaine, I just want you to know that I didn't give you up because I didn't want you or didn't love you. I wanted you to have the best life possible, and I thought that having a teenage mother would be the worst possible thing for you."

"Yeah, well, you were wrong." Kurt came back at that moment and shot Blaine a look that clearly stated that he didn't approve of Blaine's attitude, so Blaine quickly amended his statement. "But I guess I understand."

Melanie looked so thrilled that Blaine wasn't blaming her entirely. Kurt marveled at how similar their expressions were.

"So what did you do after high school?" Kurt asked carefully.

"I went to Ohio State. I met Adam. We moved to Pennsylvania, got married, and had kids. Nothing too glamorous, not like drama school," Melanie said.

Kurt preened slightly at that indirect compliment.

"Who's my father?" Blaine asked suddenly.

Both Kurt and Melanie stared at Blaine in shock for a moment.

"Oh," Melanie said softly. "I haven't thought about that in years. Close to twenty years, actually," she joked to Blaine. Blaine didn't laugh.

"He was a boy I knew from my parents' country club. We'd know each other for years and were tennis rivals. That summer, we just connected. He went to another school in the area. A private school. Dalton, I think. Anyway, when I told him about you, he suddenly wanted nothing to do with me. So I didn't tell anyone else who the father was. I'd never had a boyfriend before. I didn't again until college because I became known as the pregnant girl at McKinley."

Blaine nodded along. "What was his name?"

"Blaine, he wanted nothing to do with you, are you sure that -"

"Please," Blaine begged. "I'm not going to talk to him, I just want – need – to know."

"His name was Andrew Tyson."

After that, Blaine seemed to open up much more to Melanie. Perhaps it was the contrast between the woman who had carried him and the stories of the man who had denied his existence, but Blaine was warming up.

He and Kurt had been there close to two hours when the front door burst open and two kids came running into the living room.

"Mommy!" the girl shouted, launching herself at Melanie.

Melanie looked up at the man who had just entered behind them.

"Sorry, Mel," he said. "The place closed early."

Blaine froze as he saw the tiny children climbing over this woman. He suddenly wanted very much to cry for the childhood he'd been denied.

The man seemed to notice Blaine and Kurt then. "I'm Adam Larson," he said, extending a hand. "You must be Blaine?"

Blaine nodded and shook his hand, but his eyes never left the children.

Kurt took the initiative. "I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt said. "I'm his boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you both," Adam said. "Are you staying for dinner?"

All eyes flashed to Blaine. Blaine looked bewildered, but now that he was here, he didn't want to leave. "I guess," he said.

"Fantastic. I'll get started on it then," Adam said. "Kathy, Jack, do you want to help me with dinner? Leave mommy alone with her guests?"

The two children, in bounds of energy, followed their father to the kitchen.

"Have you told them?" Blaine asked quietly.

"No," Melanie said. "I didn't want to put any pressure on you, so I've tried to keep this very low key. But if the kids knew, well, Kathy's always wanted an older brother and … I just don't want you to feel like you owe any of us anything."

Blaine nodded. He thought that Melanie's answer was going to make him angry – like she was trying to hide him. Be he felt a little relieved that he didn't have to stick around if he didn't want to.

"Thank you," he murmured.

The rest of the evening was a bit awkward, but at the same time it also felt really comfortable. Blaine was sure that Kurt's presence had a lot to do with that, though. When they left the house, he turned to Melanie.

"There's a showcase at the end of the year, and I'm going to be performing. I mean, you can come if – if you want to," he said shyly.

Melanie looked like she was about to explode with happiness. "Yes, I'd love to. Absolutely."

Blaine passed on the information to her, and she hugged him good-bye.

* * *

Blaine and Kurt spent the rest of their break in DC, enjoying the history and the shopping. When they returned to New York, Blaine felt like a completely different person.

At the end of the year showcase, Blaine prepared and performed a stellar interpretation of Aftershocks from Next to Normal.

Melanie, sitting in the audience, felt a little hollow at the song about losing a son, but she knew that Blaine had only chosen it to showcase his voice. And what a voice he had.

After the performance, she ran up to him with a bouquet of roses.

"Blaine, you were amazing," she gushed.

"Thanks, Melanie. I'm … really glad you could come."

It was obvious that Blaine wasn't comfortable with this yet, but Melanie was happy that he was trying.

She took him out to dinner in the city after that. At the end of the meal, she nervously proposed an idea that she had been toying with for a while.

"Adam, the kids, and I are going to Ohio for Christmas to see my parents this year," she said. "If you're up for it, I'd love to see you at some point. We could meet for dinner, or you could even come by my parents' place. They are your grandparents after all."

"Oh," Blaine said, taken aback. "Well, I mean, I guess I'd like to see you. But I don't know about anyone else just yet."

"Yes, yes. Of course. It was just an idea."


	5. Silver Lining

The day after Blaine returned to Ohio for Christmas, Melanie joined him at Mark and Elise's for dinner. Mark and Elise were a little wary of meeting the woman, but they were also enthusiastic. They had come to see Blaine as their own son, and so they were very protective of him.

After dinner, Blaine suggested that Melanie finally properly introduce him to Kathy and Jack.

"Really?" she asked.

"I guess. I mean, I guess having siblings would be kind of cool."

Melanie saw how much Blaine struggled to get those few words out, but it warmed her heart to see how hard he was trying.

"That sounds wonderful. Do you want to come out to dinner with us tomorrow night? Or is that too soon?"

"No, no, that's good," Blaine said.

* * *

She picked him up the next evening and brought him to Breadstix. Apparently, it was the only good restaurant in Lima. At least he was in a familiar location. He was pretty sure that Brittany and Santana were sitting in the corner of the room. He smiled at the familiarity.

Kathy and Jack were fidgety at dinner, but Melanie wanted to wait until desert to break the news.

"You guys like Blaine, right?" she asked as the ice cream was brought out.

"Yeah!" they responded enthusiastically.

"Well, when mommy was a lot younger – before I met daddy – I was pregnant. And because I was so young, I put that baby up for adoption. But then last year, I found him again." She smiled at Blaine.

"Wait – Blaine is your kid too?" Jack asked, confusion etched on his face.

Melanie nodded.

"So he's our brother?" Kathy asked.

Melanie nodded again.

"But he's a grown-up. How can he be your kid if he's a grown-up?" Kathy asked.

Blaine almost laughed at the question. "Your – our – mother was really young when she had me. So even though I'm grown-up by now, she's still my – my mother," Blaine explained.

Jack and Kathy looked shocked. The silence lasted for only a second before they began shooting rapid fire questions at their new big brother.

When they left Breadstix, Blaine was grinning widely.

* * *

After spending Christmas morning with the Warrens, Kurt brought Blaine to his house in Lima. After a few hours there, he got a call from Melanie.

"Hi Melanie," Blaine answered.

"Hi Blaine. Merry Christmas."

"You too. Tell Jack and Kathy hi for me."

"Well, that's what I was calling about. I was wondering if – since you know Jack and Kathy now – if maybe you'd want to come by my parents' house for dinner? You don't have to."

"Oh. Um, I – I guess," Blaine said, taken aback by the offer.

"Really? Great. I'll pick you up at 5?"

"Sure. Wait, I'm at Kurt's, so I could just get a ride over there if you want."

"Are you sure, Blaine?"

"Y-yeah. Just give me the address."

When Blaine hung up the phone, he looked positively thunderstruck.

"What's wrong, honey?" Kurt asked.

"I'm going to dinner at my grandparents' house tonight," he said in a toneless voice.

Kurt, at least, seemed to understand what he should do. "Okay then. We need to get you changed. You cannot meet them in those ratty sweatpants. Come with me," Kurt ordered, dragging Blaine to his closet.

* * *

A few hours later, Blaine was wearing a pair of dark grey jeans and a deep purple oxford. He looked entirely uncomfortable as he followed Kurt to his car.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kurt asked. "Melanie will understand if you don't want to."

"No, I'm just nervous. I'm not exactly unused to meeting people that are supposed to be 'families.' Now it's just that they actually are family. It's weird."

"Well, you've got Melanie and Adam and the kids on your side. Plus, you are charming and handsome. People can't help but fall in love with Blaine Anderson. I should know," Kurt said, giving Blaine a small peck on the lips.

Blaine was silent for the rest of the drive, but his eyes widened as the houses got progressively larger.

"Here you go," Kurt said. "If you need to get out of there, call me. I'll be over in five minutes."

"This was a ten minute drive, Kurt," Blaine pointed out.

"I'll speed," Kurt joked. He leaned forward to kiss Blaine again. "I love you. Good luck!"

Kurt didn't drive away until Blaine was whisked into the house.

* * *

Melanie must have been waiting for Blaine at the door, because he didn't even have time to ring the bell before the door opened.

"Blaine, I'm so glad you're here," she said, hugging him quickly.

"I – uh – I brought a pie. Kurt's stepmother made it and insisted I bring it over," Blaine said nervously, holding out the cherry pie that Carole had stuffed into his arms as he walked out the door.

"Thanks, honey," Melanie said. "Do you want me to take your coat?"

Blaine shrugged his threadbare peacoat off and handed it to Melanie. She hung it up and then led him to the back of the house.

"Jack and Kathy are upstairs, but I'm sure they're bursting to see you. I made sure they didn't tell my parents anything, but they're beyond elated to have a brother," Melanie said.

Blaine found himself smiling despite his overwhelming nerves.

Adam was chatting with an older couple in the sitting room when Melanie and Blaine walked in.

"Nice to see you again, Blaine," Adam said, shaking his hand.

Blaine numbly nodded back, but was having trouble opening his mouth.

"Mom, Dad," Melanie said, addressing the older couple. "This is Blaine."

They looked blankly at the young man, obviously unprepared to have a dinner guest.

"He's my son," Melanie said.

The reactions were instantaneous. The man – Blaine's grandfather – looked angry, while the woman just looked shocked. Blaine was overcome by embarrassment and shame and studied his beat-up converse rather than their faces.

"Melanie, can you come with me into the kitchen?" Blaine heard a gruff voice say.

Melanie squeezed his shoulder and walked away. Blaine remained where he was awkwardly standing, unsure of what to do.

From the kitchen, he could hear the raised voices of Melanie and her father. Arguing about him.

* * *

"What the hell is this, Melanie?" Edward Anderson asked harshly as soon as they entered the next room.

"He's my son, dad. I thought you might want to know your grandson."

"How dare you bring your childhood mistakes up again, especially at Christmas! And what about your husband and children?"

"They all know Blaine and love him. Kathy and Jack are more than thrilled to have a big brother."

"How do you know he's even yours? What if he's just some con trying to rip you off by playing on your kindness?"

"Dad! Blaine is not trying to take advantage of me. You don't know how hard I've had to work just to get him to want to spend time with me."

Edward scoffed.

"You just have to give him a chance, dad. He's a really great kid – remarkable and talented – and he had a really rough time growing up."

"He's not your responsibility, Melanie. That's why you gave him up."

"That doesn't mean I don't want to know him, dad. If you aren't going to give him a chance, then I am going to have to leave, too."

Edward looked conflicted, but finally gave in to his daughter's steely expression. "Fine," he growled.

They walked back to the sitting room. Blaine's head immediately turned up. It was painfully obvious that he had overheard every word of the conversation in the next room.

"It's – uh – it's nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson, sir," Blaine said nervously as he held out his hand.

Edward looked critically at Blaine's hand, but didn't shake it. "So," he said gruffly. Blaine shrunk back slightly. "You say you're Melanie's kid?"

Blaine nodded his head slightly.

"Well, we're going to have to test that just to make sure."

"Dad!" Melanie objected.

"No, it's fine," Blaine said quietly. "I understand you concern, sir, but I'm really not trying to get anything from you or your family."

Edward looked impressed despite his better judgement. "Where are your parents anyway?" he asked in an attempt to gain control again.

"My parents?" Blaine asked.

"Well, Melanie put you up for adoption, didn't she?"

"Oh," Blaine said quietly. "I was never adopted."

"Why not? Behavior problems? Bad attitude?"

"I had an undeveloped heart when I was born."

"So you're coming to us for pity and hospital money?"

"No," Blaine said, scandalized.

"Dad, stop it," Melanie said, finally jumping back in. "Blaine doesn't want anything from me. He and I are just trying to get to know each other."

"Fine," Edward conceded. "What are you doing now?"

"I, well, I got a full scholarship to a performing arts school in New York," Blaine said meekly.

"And what are you going to do with a degree in music?"

"Well it's the best school of its type in the country and they have lots of connections to Broadway. It guarantees that every student who graduates will achieve some degree of success in theatre at any level," Blaine explained.

Melanie grabbed Blaine and sat him next to her on the couch in an attempt to end her father's interrogation. Her mother took that as the opportunity to begin her own questioning.

"So Blaine, have any girls in New York caught your fancy?" Alice Anderson asked.

Blaine blushed. "Oh, uh, well I've – I've actually been with my, uh, my boyfriend for a little over a year now," Blaine said to the carpet.

Edward Anderson stiffened and Alice looked uncomfortable.

"Oh. So you're, uh, -"

"Gay?" Melanie finished for her mother. "Yes, he is. And I've met his boyfriend. He's really a lovely man." He tone was challenging her parents to say anything against Blaine's sexual orientation. Their disapproval was obvious, but the didn't pursue the issue any further.

Conversation carried on in a similarly awkward fashion until Kathy and Jack came bounding down the stairs a few moments later. They diverted the attention from Blaine for the rest of the evening, but Blaine still caught Edward and Alice watching him a bit too closely.

He thanked them politely as he left, accepting Melanie's offer of a ride because he didn't want to stay another minute in the tense house.

"Well, that was stressful," Melanie said as soon as the front door was closed.

Blaine laughed, finally releasing all the built up tension from the evening.

"Could have gone a lot worse, though," she added.

Blaine nodded. "I'm sorry," he said.

"What are you apologizing for? My parents were the ones acting like asses. You were so great in there."

"Yeah, but I ruined your family's Christmas."

"Blaine, I know you don't need me as a mother, but that doesn't mean that we aren't family. We're just – a very weird family."

"Still," he protested.

"It's fine, Blaine. Now, am I bringing you to Elise and Mark's or Kurt's?"

Blaine made a split-second decision to go to Kurt's, deciding he needed the comfort of his boyfriend more than the comfort of his pseudo-family.

"Merry Christmas, Melanie," he said as he got out of the car.

* * *

Kurt was waiting anxiously in the living room, ignoring the Christmas movie his family was watching. He sprinted to the door when he heard the doorbell.

"Blaine! I thought you were going to call me for a ride!"

"Yeah, but I got out of there faster if Melanie drove me, so..."

"That bad?" Kurt asked, leading Blaine up to his room.

"Yes and no. They were really protective of Melanie, which was nice. I mean, it was nice to see that they cared about her so much. But I could tell that Edward hated me. And he just expected me to be some kid who's trying to get money from them. And then when I mentioned I was gay, it got all tense. I think they would have thrown me out if Melanie hadn't threatened to cut them off otherwise."

"Melanie said that?"

"Something alone those lines," Blaine said.

"Well, at least something good came from tonight then."

Blaine smiled. Leave it to Kurt to find the silver lining in what had otherwise been a pretty awful night.

* * *

Blaine was checking out customers at the grocery store he worked at during breaks from school when Edward joined his line. Blaine tried to pretend not to notice, but he was too nervous. It wasn't a coincidence – this store was out of the way for anyone from Lima, especially considering that there were three very well-stocked stores within the city itself.

"Hello, sir," Blaine greeted when Edward's item came up. He'd only purchased a jar of peanut butter, further confirming Blaine's suspicion that the man was there to see him.

"I've scheduled an appointment at the lab at the hospital for blood tests to make sure you're Melanie's son," Edward said by way of greeting. "Tomorrow at noon."

He handed Blaine a crisp five dollar bill and walked away without waiting for his change.

* * *

Blaine rushed straight from work to the hospital the next day. He'd had to ask his boss for the afternoon off which had upset the man, but Blaine would rather lose his job than disappoint Edward Anderson.

He felt self-conscious as he jumped off the city bus, still wearing his khaki pants and gaudy purple company polo shirt. He rushed through the hospital halls, knowing its layout all too well, and made it to the lab just before noon.

Melanie and Edward were talking with a nurse, so Blaine patiently waited off to the side until they noticed him.

"Good," Edward said when he saw Blaine. There was a hint of surprise, too, as if he hadn't been expecting that Blaine would actually show up. It gave Blaine an odd pleasure to continue to prove this man wrong.

"This is the kid," he told the nurse. "And I want results as quickly as you can get them. I'll pay extra for you to expedite them."

"That won't be necessary, sir," the nurse said as she led Blaine to the back. "We should have results within 24 hours."

The procedure was incredibly simple. They drew a vial of blood from Blaine and then sent him on his way. Melanie was finishing up just as Blaine left the room.

"Do you need a ride back?" she asked.

Blaine looked up to see Edward still glaring at him. "No thanks," he declined. "I can just take the bus."

* * *

He got a call just before dinner the next evening.

"Guess what," Melanie said. "You're my son."

"What a surprise," Blaine sarcastically replied. He was beginning to enjoy the friendship that he was building with Melanie.

"We're heading back to Pennsylvania tomorrow morning, but it was really nice to get to see you for Christmas, Blaine."

"You too, Melanie."

Blaine had a relationship with his mother. It wasn't close or anything, but it was more than he even thought he'd have.


	6. Footloose

Halfway through Blaine's final semester at NYADA, he got wonderful news in the form of a phone call.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Blaine Anderson?"

"Yes, this is he," he answered, still unsure of who was calling.

"Hi, this is Wallace Peterson, the producer of the revival of Footloose."

Blaine's ears perked up. A few weeks ago, on a whim, he and a few friends had attended an open call for Footloose. Although he'd been asked to come back to read more for them, he assumed nothing had come of it when he hadn't received a call.

"I would like to offer you the understudy position of Ren, as well as a role in the company," Wallace said, interrupting Blaine's thoughts.

"Really? Yes, of course!"

"Great. Rehearsals begin next week. We'll be emailing you more information."

Blaine hung up the phone and began to dance around his dorm room in joy.

* * *

Later that night, he met Kurt and Rachel at their apartment for dinner. Both had graduated from NYADA a year ago, and had gone on to work in the New York theatre scene. This was Blaine's first non-NYADA show, and he was excited.

They were thrilled when they heard the news.

"Of course, this means that I'll have to stay in the city once I graduate," Blaine said.

"Please tell me that I'm thinking the right thing here," Kurt demanded.

"Well, I'll need a low-rent place to stay once I'm not in a NYADA dorm. Know anyone who might have a room?"

If possible, Rachel and Kurt made even more noise about this news than the news about Footloose.

* * *

Once rehearsals began, Blaine found himself constantly exhausted. Not only did he have to deal with the full vigorous NYADA course load, but he also had almost daily rehearsals. Since Footloose was so dance-focused, he spent hours dancing every day. He barely had time to sleep anymore.

Graduation was a welcome breath of fresh air.

Mark, Elise, and Callie all flew out (bringing Ethan's greatest apologies with them). Melanie, Adam, Kathy, and Jack came too.

And of course, Kurt was there.

But Blaine barely had time to celebrate his graduation, because he was moving into Kurt and Rachel's apartment and rehearsals were picking up.

Although he wouldn't admit it, Blaine was almost looking forward to when the show was over. Next time, he would focus on shows that had a bit less dancing. Kurt pointed out the obvious upside that Blaine's muscles were becoming quite defined from all the exercise.

By the end of the summer, however, Blaine was exhausted. The heat and the long rehearsals combined to torture him.

And then everything that he had been fearing for years came to a head.

* * *

In the middle of rehearsal one day in August, Blaine felt his heart speed up. This happened frequently enough from exertion, but this time it was different. Something was off. Instead of returning to its normal pace, the heart kept overworking itself, and Blaine's vision grew spotty.

He knew what was happening. He'd felt this happen once before. Of course, then there had been men beating him senseless and he wasn't able to focus on his heart at the time, but he knew this was the same.

Blaine grabbed the arm of the girl next to him for support, but it was too late. He fell into unconsciousness as his heart attempted to work.

Blaine's heart stopped moments before the EMTs arrived. They barged into the dance studio and quickly detected Blaine's pacemaker, realized that it had stopped functioning, and realized that they needed to get him help quickly. Anything they could do would only temporarily restart the heart.

They got it to beat weakly for itself once they were in the ambulance and darting through traffic to the nearest hospital.

He was admitted through the ER, but there was little that could be done for him at the moment. Instead, he was hooked up to a heart monitor once a doctor was able to stabilize his heart.

* * *

Kurt Hummel was just getting home from his own rehearsal when his cell phone rang.

"Is this Kurt Hummel?" the voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Yes."

"I'm calling from New York Presbyterian Hospital. Blaine Anderson was just checked in after suffering from heart failure."

"Oh my god, I'll be right there," Kurt gasped. He turned around and ran to the street, hailing the first cab he saw.


	7. A Familiar Curl

When Blaine awoke hours later, there was a steady beeping coming from somewhere in the room.

"Damn," he whispered, realizing he was in a hospital.

"Blaine?"

Blaine forced his eyes open, glad that someone was in there with him. When he saw Kurt, his face broke into a smile.

"I don't mind waking up in a hospital when you're here," he whispered.

"I'm going to go get your nurse, I'll be right back."

After the nurse checked Blaine's vitals, the two men finally had alone time together.

"What happened?" Blaine asked.

"Apparently you just collapsed during rehearsal. Your heart stopped just before the EMTs got there, but they were thankfully able to restart it. You were stabilized once you got here, and now...you're awake. How're you feeling?"

"I've been worse," Blaine said. "But I've been a lot better, too."

Kurt sighed, taking Blaine's hand in his. "I called Mark and Elise. They send their love. Do you want me to call Melanie?"

Blaine shook his head. "I don't want to get her worried about nothing. When am I getting out of here?"

Kurt pursed his lips. "The doctor said he wanted to talk to you once you woke up. I'm sure the nurse is getting him now."

* * *

Not much later, a handsome man walked into the room. "Nice to see you awake, Mr. Anderson," he commented lightly. "My name is Dr. Tyson, and I'm the head of cardiology here. I've just been looking over your records and I had a nice long talk with your doctors back in Ohio. They seem to share the same concern as me."

"What's that?" Blaine asked.

"Well, we're all worried about how a heart as young but weak as yours is going to be able to hold up to much more strain."

Blaine stared dumbly, hoping that the doctor wouldn't confirm his suspicions. "What does that mean?"

"We've all agreed that you need a heart transplant if you really want to be able to pursue life to the fullest. We're going to go in for surgery soon to replace your pacemaker with something that might work a bit better, but I'm also putting you on the transplant list. Until you get a heart, you're going to have to stay away from any really demanding physical activity. I'll have a nurse discuss all the specifics with you."

Blaine stared ahead blankly.

"I know this is a lot to take in," Dr. Tyson said, "but it's our best shot."

"What are the chances?"

"Hmm?"

"What are the chances I'll get a heart before mine kills me?" Blaine asked.

Dr. Tyson blanched.

* * *

Three days later, Blaine was discharged from the hospital with a new pacemaker and a strict ban on dancing. He didn't fail to see the irony when he approached Wallace and told him that he wasn't allowed to dance, and therefore couldn't be in the show … about a town where dancing was banned.

Blaine got a job at a local record store, but he hated sitting around. After being so active for the past few months, this was torture for him.

In addition, he had to go to the hospital every few weeks for regular check-ups to make sure that his body was in top shape to accept a donor heart, if one was ever found.

It was at one of these appointments that Blaine started talking to his doctor.

"So you're from Ohio," Dr. Tyson commented as he listened to Blaine's heart.

"Yeah," Blaine said. "First time I was ever out of the state was when I came to New York for college."

"Wow, that's impressive," he said. "I'm from Ohio, too, actually. I completely understand wanting to get out of there as fast as possible. When I graduated high school, I barely even looked back on my way to Columbia."

"Oh? Which part of Ohio?"

"Westerville," Dr. Tyson said. His back was to Blaine as he began sorting through his drawers, so he missed Blaine's panicked expression.

"W-westerville?" Blaine asked. His eyes flashed to the doctor's nameplate: Dr. Andrew Tyson.

"You've heard of it?" Dr. Tyson asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I lived there for about a year in high school," Blaine said vaguely.

"Oh yeah? What school did you go to?"

"Westerville Central."

"Ah. I was a Dalton boy myself. My parents preferred to send me off with the country club set rather than the public schools. But I hear the Ohio Public School system has really improved in the last decade."

Blaine smiled weakly, but couldn't bring himself to speak again for the rest of the check-up.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a few weeks, Blaine. Remember to keep the pager charged at all times in case we get you a heart!"

* * *

After Blaine's appointment, he went back to the apartment and thought about everything that he had learned. Andrew Tyson was probably a really common name. There were probably tons of them in Westerville.

But Blaine couldn't forget the fact that Dr. Tyson was the right age. And his hair had a familiar curl to it...


	8. All My Heart

When Blaine first got a pager from the hospital to notify him if a heart came in, he checked and double checked it every few minutes. As the months passed, however, he began to accept the fact that it wasn't going to ring. He still always took it with him wherever he went, but only because of routine. Over a year passed from when he passed out at rehearsal. He still went to for regular check-ups every few weeks, but even Dr. Tyson had stopped being so optimistic.

* * *

Early in October, Blaine was at work in the record store when he heard a beeping that would not stop. It wasn't until his manager turned to him and said, "Anderson, I told you – phones off at work," that Blaine realized what the beeping was. He pulled out the beeper that he hospital had given him and sure enough, it was an urgent message.

Blaine immediately pulled out his phone to call the hospital.

"Anderson, what did I just tell you?" his manager asked.

"Sorry, man, but I need to take this." He then began to speak to the phone. "Yes, this is Blaine Anderson, I just got an important message from Dr. Tyson? A heart? Yes, I'll be there in half an hour!"

Blaine jumped out from behind the counter and frantically pulled his coat on.

"Where do you think you're going?" the manager asked.

"Sorry, but I quit!" Blaine shouted. "I've got a heart!"

He ran down to the subway and then began to make his calls. First he called Kurt, who didn't answer.

"Kurt, it's me, call me back right away. I'm on my way to the hospital. They found me a heart! Please, just come. I need you. Love you, bye!"

He tried Rachel next. The girl must have been taking a break during rehearsal because she was breathing heavily when she answered.

"Hello?"

"Rach – I got a heart!" Blaine shouted, not caring that there were other people in the subway with him.

"Oh my god, Blaine, that's amazing!"

"Yeah, can you get Kurt for me? I tried calling him but he didn't answer, and I'm on my way to the hospital now..."

"Of course. We'll both be there before you go under."

"Thanks, Rachel."

Blaine called Elise next, and the Melanie. That was the call he was most dreading having to make. Since he had figured out the truth about Dr. Tyson, he had vowed to keep him as far from Melanie as possible. If that meant telling her that she wasn't allowed to be there for the surgery, then, well, that was a sacrifice he was going to have to make. Thankfully, Blaine got Melanie's answering machine too, and didn't have to explain himself.

* * *

He checked himself into the hospital and was prepped for surgery immediately.

"The heart's not here yet," a nurse told him, "but we want you to go in as soon as it does get here."

Blaine kept checking his phone, nervous that Kurt might not get there in time. Finally, he asked the nurse for a piece of paper and a pen.

_Dear Kurt,_

_I really hope that I see you before I go in for the transplant, but if I don't and if things go bad, there are some things that I need to make sure you know._

_I love you. I always have and I always will. You are so amazing and talented and handsome and I know that you'll be Broadway's biggest star someday._

_Can you tell Melanie and Elise and Mark and Callie and Ethan and everyone else that I love them too?_

_I just want you to know that if the surgery doesn't go well, I have been so lucky to get to spend the last few years with you. I would go through everything I did when I was younger ten times over if it meant I got another minute to spend with you._

_I love you with all my heart,_

_Blaine_

Blaine finished writing just as the nurses began wheeling his bed down the hall and toward surgery.

"Can you give this to Kurt?" he asked, handing the note to one of the nurses. She nodded and pocketed it.

Before they reached the end of the hall, Blaine heard a shout of "Blaine!" and turned around to see Kurt and Rachel racing towards him.

Some of the tension drained from his body at that.

"That god," he whispered, "I was worried that you wouldn't make it in time."

"Of course I would. I said I'd be here. You'll do fine in there, Blaine. I love you."

"I love you, too, Kurt," Blaine said, sneaking a kiss before he was rolled away.

* * *

A nurse slipped a piece of paper into Kurt's hands before guiding them to the waiting room. Kurt and Rachel went to sit in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Kurt's phone seemed to explode in his hand moments later. The first call he answered was from Melanie.

"Kurt, I just got Blaine's message, but why doesn't he want me there?"

"I don't know," Kurt said, confused. Blaine had never mentioned the revelation about Dr. Tyson to anyone, so Kurt was clueless. "Maybe he just didn't want to get his hopes up. But you should definitely come. That is, if you can."

"Of course I can," Melanie said. "I'm already on the road!"

Kurt laughed. He really was fond of Blaine's biological mother. "Drive safe. He'll be in surgery for a few hours, so there's no need for you to speed."

Kurt's inbox was flooded with texts from friends that Rachel had notified and his parents. He answered each of them as simply as he could before collapsing back in the chair.

Then he remembered the paper he had been given as Blaine was whisked away. Kurt read the note and began crying hysterically. It won't go wrong. Blaine will come out of this.

It seemed like years later, but it was really only two hours until Melanie arrived. Kurt hugged the woman and she took the seat next to him.

After another hour, she grew restless. "I'm gonna go get some coffee," she announced. "Do either of you want some?"

Rachel and Kurt shook their heads, so Melanie walked off on her own.

Moments later, Dr. Tyson appeared before them in scrubs. Kurt immediately jumped to his feet.

"How was it? Is he-"

Dr. Tyson held up his hand. "The surgery went really well. There were no complications, and we think that Blaine's body is accepting the heart really well. He's out now but he's still asleep and probably won't wake for another couple of hours. Do you want me to take you to him?"

Kurt could only nod. Rachel pushed him forward after the doctor. "I'll wait for Melanie," she told Kurt.

Kurt collapsed in relief when he was finally able to see Blaine again. He held his hand tightly with one hand while he pulled out his phone with the other hand.

Kurt didn't realize he was sobbing tears of joy until he heard his father's voice on the other end of the line.

"Kurt? Are you okay? Did the surgery – I mean, is Blaine -?"

"No, dad, he's fine. He's got the heart, and he's out now, and I'm just so happy."

"Thank god. Bud, you gave me a bit of a scare there. But I'm glad Blaine is okay. Keep me updated, okay?"

Melanie and Rachel came rushing into the room just as Kurt hung up the phone.

"Oh," Melanie whispered, taking the other bedside chair and adopting a position similar to Kurt's. The three stayed in the room, frozen in their positions for hours until they saw Blaine's eyes flutter.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked.

Blaine groaned slightly.

"Blaine, honey, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me," Kurt instructed. He felt the slightest bit of pressure on his hand.

Blaine opened his mouth, trying his hardest to speak. "Love … you," he muttered.

"I love you too, Blaine," Kurt sighed, grinning widely.

"Welcome back, Blaine," Melanie whispered.

Blaine's eyes flashed over to her. "Mom?" he asked groggily.

Melanie looked like she was about to start crying when she heard the word fall from Blaine's lips.

"Shouldn't … come here," he said quietly.

"I'm going to go let the nurses know you're awake," Rachel said, jumping up.

Kurt offered Blaine some water from the night stand, and by the time Rachel returned with a nurse, he could speak fuller sentences.

"Melanie," he said, "your work and kids..."

"Are fine without me for a day. I couldn't bear actually knowing about your surgery and not being there again."

Blaine's face adopted an expression that was a cross between joy and fear. The fear won over when Dr. Tyson walked in.

"Well, Blaine," he announced, "the surgery was a success. And you are a very lucky young man. You have one of the rarest blood types in the U.S., but a heart managed to show up only an hour from the hospital. You were the closest person with that blood type."

Blaine tried to smile. But that was the moment when Dr. Tyson noticed the others in the room. Including Melanie.

"Holy cow, is that Melanie Anderson?" he asked in shock. His face went slack a moment later as he looked between Melanie, Blaine, and their linked hands.

"Andrew?" she asked timidly.

"Mel... what?"

Neither Kurt nor Rachel seemed to understand what was going on. But Melanie leaned down to Blaine's ear and whispered, "Is this why you didn't want me to come?"

Blaine simply nodded.

"Let's talk in the hall," she said, standing up and leaving the room abruptly.

"Right. Well, Blaine, I'll talk to you about the surgery later. Yeah," Dr. Tyson said before leaving the room quickly.

"What was all that about?" Kurt demanded.

Blaine just looked nervous. "Dr. Tyson just figured out that he's … he's my father," Blaine said quietly.


	9. An Old Dream Come True

"What?" Kurt exploded.

"We were talking at one of my check-ups and he told me that he was also from Ohio and he went to Dalton and lived in Westerville, and he was the right age and Melanie did day my father's name was Andrew Tyson, so I made the connection."

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Rachel asked, completely nonplussed.

"From what Melanie said about him, he really wanted nothing to do with me back then, so I didn't want to bring it up. Anyway, what was I supposed to do?"

"Let's not focus on that," Kurt said. "Let's focus on the fact that you now have a perfectly functioning heart!"

Blaine grinned a little despite himself.

"How does it feel?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know, the same? It's not like I can feel that it's not actually mine. But it does feel...stronger. Like when I really focus, it's not little fluttering beats. It's actually doing what it's supposed to."

Blaine hadn't let himself get too excited about getting a heart transplant. He'd known his odds were low. But now that all the stars had aligned, and he had a new heart, everything was different.

"You can go back to broadway," Rachel said, echoing Blaine's thoughts.

"Footloose wasn't actually a Broadway show," Blaine told her.

"Yes, but it wasn't some little community theatre. It was still a big deal. And you can dance again!"

"Not yet. I'm pretty sure it'll still be a couple months before anyone lets me do much of anything physical," Blaine said.

"Good," Kurt said. "I don't want to lose you."

The door opened and Melanie walked back in. "Andy's going to get another doctor for you Blaine. Unless you want him to keep looking after you?"

Blaine looked around the room. He shook his head.

Melanie was a little relieved. Of course, she knew that it would be important for Blaine to get to know his father, but at the same time she wanted Andrew to have to fight for him like she did.

About half an hour later, another doctor came into the room. He explained everything that went on during the surgery, and what Blaine should expect from the next few months. If everything went well, he would be discharged in about two weeks. He'd be on bed rest at home for another two weeks, and then he could go back to work. They advised him against anything stressful and any physical activity until he got the okay from the doctor.

When Kurt and Rachel left Melanie alone with Blaine, the boy – man - tried looking away.

"Blaine, how long ago did you figure it out?" she asked gently.

"About a year ago."

"Why didn't you tell me? Or Andy? Or even Kurt? If you were uncomfortable, you should have gone to another doctor."

"I really wanted to get a heart, Melanie," Blaine said.

His voice was so small and so scared that Melanie just wanted to hug him and promise that everything would be okay. "Honey, he would have made sure you got the heart even if he wasn't treating you."

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but there was this part of me that thought, I don't know, it's stupid … but I thought that I was safer with him just because of … everything."

Melanie hugged him tightly.

"When do you have to go back?" Blaine asked in a small voice.

"Well, I'm supposed to be in work tomorrow, but I've already called in to take the rest of the week off. I'm sure Adam and the kids would love to see you if you're okay with that."

Blaine smiled. "Yeah. That sounds nice."

* * *

Kurt brought Blaine's laptop – the same clunky, slow one that he had bought secondhand before his freshman year – to the hospital the next day. Blaine began the tedious process of emailing his friends and family to update them on his condition. He was surprised to find a message from his old social worker, Melody. The Warrens must have told her about the surgery. It was sweet that she still cared.

Kurt, unfortunately, couldn't get out of rehearsal for a second day in a row, so he wasn't there for most of the afternoon. It was only Blaine and Melanie in the room when Dr. Tyson stopped by.

"Blaine?" he asked, hovering awkwardly by the door. "Can I come in?"

Blaine shrugged and closed his laptop. He felt entirely uncomfortable in this situation. Strangely enough, it was something that he'd always dreamed of. But now that it was here – Blaine with both his parents - he wasn't sure that he wanted it anymore.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dr. Tyson finally asked.

"I didn't think you'd want to know," Blaine said plainly.

"Of course I would, Blaine. What would make you think that I wouldn't want to know my own – my own son?"

Blaine's eyes watered at the word, but he kept up his stony expression. "She said you wanted nothing to do with her once she realized she was pregnant. I assumed it extended to me."

Dr. Tyson's face fell. "Blaine, I was 16 and scared. I was scared of responsibility and my parents. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to know you now."

Blaine just looked down to his laptop.

"Look, Blaine, I want to be a part of your life now that I know you. Mel told me that it took you a while to warm up to her, and I'm perfectly fine with waiting. But please, don't turn me away. I made mistakes when I was young, and I'm trying to make up for them now."

Blaine still didn't look up but he nodded his head slightly.

It was silent in the room for a few minutes before Blaine finally spoke.

"You know, when I was little, I made up this story. You were this gorgeous dancer and you would make the best waffles for me for dinner," he said, looking at Melanie. Looking to Dr. Tyson, Blaine added, "And you were this big strong football star who taught me to play even though I was too small and I had a bum heart. I convinced myself that you were going to come back and get me and we'd be this perfect family. And then everything went to shit. But right now, this is my five-year-old self's dream come true. And I don't know if I want it anymore."

He hated saying those words, seeing the hurt cross each adult's face, but it was true.

"Don't get me wrong," Blaine quickly added, "I'm glad I met you both. But I needed you back then. I don't know if I need you now." Blaine looked down at his heavily bandaged chest. "Well, except for this," he added, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Do you – do you want us to leave?" Melanie asked haltingly.

Blaine's hand immediately found her. "No! No, I want you to stay - both of you," he said nervously. "But I don't want parents. Mark and Elise are the closest I have to parents, and they're all I need."

Dr. Tyson had so many questions floating through his head, so he sat down when Blaine finally indicated that he wanted him there, and started to ask. "Who are Mark and Elise?"

"They're the last set of foster parents I had. And the only decent ones. They never gave up on me."

"Can you tell us about foster care?" Dr. Tyson asked nervously. "I've read your records and seen the scars, Blaine."

Blaine shook his head. "Why do you want to know? Why should you be allowed to care? You gave up your right to care 23 years ago when you gave me up."

Melanie pressed the issue. "Blaine, I've known you for three years now. And I've cherished every moment of that time. But if you really want us to be a part of your life in any capacity, you have to let us know what happened. What we let happen."

Blaine looked up, tears brimming in his eyes. "You really wanna know?"

They nodded.

"Fine."


	10. Unwanted

_Blaine was nine years old._

_His clothes were obviously old and worn. He was tiny – much smaller than the other boys his age. He was on the free lunch program at school. He had no parents._

_He would go back to the house he was staying at each day after school. He hoped that the man and the woman would ask him how his day was, pretend to care, offer to help him with his homework._

_He was 10 now, for only just a month. No one had acknowledged it._

_He ran out to the playground at recess like all the other kids in his class, shouting joyfully in the cool spring air. The other boys pushed him around, just like every other day. While he was on the jungle gym, another boy "accidentally" shoved him. He fell, landing hard on his wrist. He heard a crack. Pain shot up his arm from his wrist._

_His teacher called an ambulance and he was brought to the hospital. He was alone while his arm was set and while the cast was put on. He was alone for hours, waiting for anyone to show up. Finally his social worker came, bringing his bags from the house with her._

_She dropped him off at Greenway._

* * *

_Blaine finished that school year back at Greenway. A few weeks into the next school year, he was at another house._

_The foster parents weren't unkind, but they didn't care closely for Blaine. They made him clean the house, which he did. In silence. He barely ever spoke, at the house or at school._

_Teachers requested meetings with his foster parents, saying they were worried about him. The foster parents were concerned, but they didn't have the time to fix a damaged kid._

_Melody came by after school one day and dropped Blaine off at Greenway._

* * *

_Blaine was almost 12 and living at another foster home._

_The kids at school knew, but middle schoolers were rougher than the elementary playground bullies. He fought back, in the halls and on the field. He was sent to the principal's office, and his foster parents were called. Repeatedly._

_While he was there, he realized that he looked at boys the same way that the other boys looked at girls. He realized that he was attracted to boys. He realized he was gay._

_The other kids realized, too._

_They bullied him even more for that, and the calls to the foster parents increased._

_After a while, he became too much of a handful._

_They sent Blaine back to Greenway._

* * *

_Blaine moved in with Mr. and Mrs. Austin when he was 12._

_They were older than most of the other couples that he'd been sent to live with. Their house was bigger and nicer and looked like a home. It was warm and comfortable and so were the people that occupied it._

_Mrs. Austin packed Blaine a lunch every day he went to school during his first week there. Then she asked if he had a girlfriend. Blaine didn't realize that adults might share the children's prejudice, so he told her he was gay._

_Melody brought him back to Greenway two days later._

* * *

_Not long after that, Blaine was placed in another home. He was there for nine months, until just before the beginning of his freshman year of high school._

_He never figured out why they decided they didn't want him. He thought he'd done everything right this time. He didn't come out to them, he didn't get in fights at school, he was quiet but not so reserved that it was concerning._

_One day he woke up to find Melody telling him it was time to go._

* * *

_When Blaine was 13, almost 14, he moved to Westerville and lived with the Harrisons._

_Their house was dirty and it smelled like smoke._

_At school, Blaine made friends with a boy named Danny. Danny whispered that he, too, was gay._

_At the house, the Harrisons forced Blaine to do chores. He had no problem with that, but soon they began overworking him. He asked to go to Danny's house after school one day, and was told no._

_He went anyway._

_Blaine didn't get breakfast or dinner for two days after that._

_He cleaned up the table after dinner one night. As he was bringing the dishes to the sink to wash them, a cup fell and clunked along the floor._

_Mr. Harrison, who had been drinking all afternoon, rose up in fury – either at the noise or at Blaine._

_Blaine barely had time to put down the stack of plates he had been carrying and hold up his arms before Mr. Harrison began beating down on him._

_Blaine could barely move once the beating was over. He dragged himself off to his room just before the Harrisons woke up._

_They didn't give him breakfast or dinner for a week because he had forgotten to do the dishes._

_Blaine asked Mr. Harrison a question while he was reading the newspaper one morning and got a lamp thrown at his head. He was forced to clean the glass shards with his bare hands._

_A few weeks later, a sick Blaine asked Mrs. Harrison if she had any cold medicine. She had been heating up water for spaghetti at the moment and poured the boiling pot over him instead._

_He cried out, writing on the floor, but Mrs. Harrison just walked away._

_Blaine was punched, kicked, and starved most days he stayed with the Harrisons, except inspection days._

_In the spring, his school announced a Sadie Hawkins dance, so Blaine asked Danny._

_Blaine escaped the Harrison's house before they returned home from work – ensuring that he would get beaten or starved the next time they saw him, but he didn't care. He ran over to Danny's house, and the two boys danced the night away._

_Before they could leave the dance, however, three boys – all seniors – began beating Blaine and Danny senseless._

_Blaine woke up 12 hours later in a hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison were there. They shouted at him for leaving the house and neglecting his chores and pulling them out of bed at midnight. They slapped him._

_When a nurse saw that, she called child services._

_When Blaine was released from the hospital, he went straight back to Greenway._


	11. And Now I'm Here

"Then I was in Lima, with Kurt. I mean, I stayed with these people, Scott and Diane. They just ignored me most of the time, so we got along great." Blaine told them about Lima with a happier tone than anything else he'd relayed so far. "But when Melody – my social worker – came and saw that Scott and Diane weren't there, I was sent back to Greenway. I had an arrhythmia while I was there, fighting with one of the other boys, so that was the first big thing that happened with my heart. I was at Greenway until just after Christmas. I saw Kurt occasionally, but he was busy with senior year. Once I moved in with Mark and Elise, things got tense with Kurt. We broke up about a month in. But things were really great with Mark and Elise and Callie and Ethan. It was the first time that I actually felt like a part of the family, and I knew that they actually liked having me around.

"Then I got jumped," Blaine said. This was something that he had never told Melanie before, and although Dr. Tyson had seen the medical records, he didn't know the circumstances of the attack. "It got out at school – and in the community, I guess – that I was gay, and this group of men attacked me when I was leaving a concert at school. They broke a couple of ribs, dislocated my shoulder, and … that was when I got the first pacemaker. The one that failed last year."

"I stayed with Mark and Elise for the rest of my senior year, even after I turned 18. That was their promise when they began taking in foster kids – that they would never kick anyone out once they aged out. Ethan and I still stay there a lot, but now we pay rent. I didn't tell them when I was applying to college because I was still convinced that I wasn't going to be able to. All I had was about $300 that I had saved up over the years. But I applied to NYADA for their full ride, and I got it. And now I'm here."

When Blaine finished speaking, his face was blank and his eyes sad. He had managed to make his way through the entire story without shedding a tear, a feat which neither of the other adults in the room accomplished.

"Blaine, I know it doesn't mean anything now," Melanie said, "but if I had known that was going to happen, I would never have given you up."

Blaine snorted. "I highly doubt that Edward and Alice would have let you do that. Nor would they have taken care of me."

Dr. Tyson agreed. "I can imagine they weren't thrilled when they found out you were gay," he commented.

"Especially since that was the first day I met them and Edward was still convinced I was trying to con them, no. They were less than pleased."

Dr. Tyson, Blaine, and Melanie all laughed shakily at this, beginning to move into easier and more comfortable territory.

* * *

Blaine was typing furiously on his laptop when Dr. Tyson stopped by to check on him.

"What is that hunk of junk anyway?" Dr. Tyson asked. "It looks like it's older than you are."

Blaine looked up, annoyed. "Good idea. Make fun of the foster kid that you abandoned who spent his entire life's savings on a $200 used laptop and toiletries for his dorm."

Dr. Tyson's stomach dropped at Blaine's frank honesty. "Right. Sorry. Well, you know, I have an old laptop – it still works great – if you want it."

"No thanks," Blaine said, still somewhat irritated. "I like to know I earned everything I have."

"Fine," Dr. Tyson said with a sigh. "But, if you don't mind my asking, how are you paying for the hospital?"

A look of panic and shame crossed Blaine's face. "Well, I've been getting some disability money from the government and the Warrens are helping as much as they can. I've got some money saved up, too."

"Blaine, if you need it, I could help out."

"No thanks, Dr. Tyson," Blaine said. It hurt the man a little bit that Blaine was still addressing him so formally. "I know you really didn't want me in the first place, and I'm just an inconvenience now."

"Blaine, that's not true -"

"Really? Then why did you ditch Melanie when she told you she was pregnant? Why did you never go looking for me at any point in the last 23 years? Melanie at least tried being responsible when she left me. She at least wanted to reconnect!"

"Blaine, I didn't know you existed until a week ago. As my – son, I mean. Obviously I've known you for 14 months now. I know this isn't going to help my case, but you're right. I ditched Mel when she told me she was pregnant. We didn't live in the same town or go to the same school, and I tried to forget her. I never knew what happened with the pregnancy."

Blaine sighed. "I know I said I wanted to get to know you, but do you think you could stay away for a while?"

Dr. Tyson looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do, but he agreed.

* * *

Mark, Elise, and Callie flew into La Guardia to surprise Blaine about a week and a half after his surgery. He'd emailed and called them a few times, but due to the last-minute nature of the surgery, they weren't able to plan ahead.

He was sleeping – as he so often did these days – when they arrived at the door. Dr. Tyson was walking by to check on the boy and saw them hovering.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Oh, we're just letting him rest," Elise said. "Are you his doctor?"

"I – I performed his surgery," Tyson replied diplomatically. "Who are you? I don't think we've seen you here before."

"We're his family. We were only just able to fly out from Ohio," Mark said.

Dr. Tyson looked confused for a moment, and then recognition flashed behind his eyes. "Ah, you must be Mark and Elise. I'm Andrew Tyson. I really want to thank you for all you've done for Blaine these past few years."

They looked a little surprised at how involved the doctor was.

"Did – did Blaine not tell you?" Tyson asked, face falling slightly.

"Tell us what?"

"I think that's for Blaine to decide. I'm sorry, I'll leave you to it." He walked away quickly, leaving the confused family outside Blaine's room.

Callie ran into the room and impatiently sat beside Blaine's bed. She commandeered the TV remote and turned on the Disney Channel. Blaine stirred slightly as the volume level in the room rose. His eyes blinked open and he grinned when he saw his family.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked groggily, attempting to sit up.

"We wanted to see you," Elise said.

Blaine grinned wider and itched the dressings on his chest. "It's great to see you all," he said.

"Mom said you got a new heart," Callie said shyly.

"Yup. Sure did," Blaine replied.

"But you still love me, right?" she asked in a nervous voice.

"Of course, Cal. I could never stop loving you, goofball."

"But they took away your heart!"

"Well, there was so much love in there, that my heart had to store it elsewhere."

Callie smiled proudly. "Good. I still love you too."

"Glad to hear it," Blaine said, hugging the younger girl lightly.

"Blaine, we were just talking to your doctor in the hall – Dr. Tyson," Mark said.

Blaine stiffened slightly. "He's not my doctor," he said with slight irritation. "Anymore, at least."

"Why not? Is that what he said you had to tell us?" Elise asked.

"I asked him to keep his distance for a while."

"Did something happen, Blaine?"

"Kinda," Blaine said, not making eye contact. "He's … he's my father."

* * *

Dr. Tyson met Mark, Elise, and Callie in the hallway at the end of visiting hours.

"Listen, I'd like to talk to you about something," he said.

Mark and Elise exchanged a look. They respected Blaine's wishes to stay away from his father, but they decided to give the man a chance.

"Yeah?" Mark asked, a bit defensively.

"Well, I know the hospital bills are a lot. Blaine told me that you're helping him pay. I want to reimburse you."

"What?"

"Just don't tell Blaine. I already offered to pay it all, but he refused. He doesn't want my help, but I know this has to be taking a toll on both of you. This is my way of saying thanks. I know I can't pay to make up for his childhood, but I want to help out now. I swear, I'm not trying to buy him or anything. I just want to help."

"We'll have to think about this," Mark said, squeezing his wife's hand. "Don't worry – we won't tell Blaine."

"Thank you, doctor," Elise added.

"Thank you."

* * *

With Callie stationed in front of the TV, Mark and Elise held a hushed conversation in the sitting area in the front of their hotel room.

"I feel like we'd be violating Blaine's trust by taking the money," Elise said.

"But he did say that he wasn't trying to buy Blaine. He just wants to help. And you can't say that the bills aren't even a little bit intimidating," Mark countered.

"Of course they're intimidating. But Blaine is family, and we shouldn't care how much it costs as long as he's healing."

"Elise, I'm not saying that we should be thinking of Callie's interests first because she is biologically ours, but what if we let the doctor pay, and then put the money we saved into an account for Callie? Like, for college? Or, if we stopped working so much and got to spend more time with our daughter? Or if we took in another foster kid?"

Elise sighed. The family had stopped taking in foster kids after Blaine and Ethan had both aged out. Partially, it was due to the fact that both boys were still living in the house occasionally, but it was also because money was getting tighter.

"Alright," Elise said finally.

"Alright?"

"Yes. We'll go talk to Dr. Tyson about this more tomorrow, but I guess we can let him help out."

* * *

Kurt came by every evening to see Blaine. Rachel would meet up with him for the last hour or so that visitors were allowed, but she always made sure to give the two men plenty of time together.

Since Melanie and the Warrens all had to return home, Blaine was alone during most of the day. He pretended that he didn't mind. He pretended that he didn't notice or care when Dr. Tyson came by to check on him – but really, he loved it.

He felt a little bad that he was warming up to Dr. Tyson so quickly. It made him feel guilty, like he was betraying Melanie by accepting his faster than he'd accepted her. But it was because of her that Blaine was comfortable even being in the same building as his biological father. There was also the fact the a boy needs a father. No matter how much time Blaine had wasted in his childhood on daydreaming about his mother and despite the fact that he was gay, he still longed for that same masculine influence that Kurt had had.


	12. More Powerful Than Music

When Blaine was released from the hospital, he passed a slip of paper to Dr. Tyson.

"I know I said I wanted you to keep your distance," he said, "but it'd be nice if we could still talk."

Dr. Tyson looked down at the paper and saw ten digits scribbled down. Blaine's phone number.

"Of course I'll call you. I really want to make this work, Blaine."

* * *

Blaine's first few days at the apartment were great. He was released on a Friday, so he spent the entire weekend hanging out with Rachel and Kurt. But when Monday came and both had to go to work, Blaine was alone.

When he was younger, Blaine used to take solace in aloneness – it was better to be alone than to be surrounded by people who hated him. But since he'd found people he loved, he realized just how much he craved the presence of others. He made the first week on bed rest work by catching up on TV shows that he'd missed in the hospital and talking to old friends on the phone. But by the second Monday, Blaine was going stir crazy. So, he decided to pick up his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dr. Tyson? It's Blaine."

"Blaine! Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good, I guess."

"No chest pains or anything?" Dr. Tyson asked.

"No. I'm just … really bored here."

"Ah," Dr. Tyson said with a chuckle. "I understand that."

"Are you – uh – working right now?" Blaine asked nervously.

"No, my shift just ended."

"Would you like to maybe come to my apartment and have coffee or something?"

"Of course! I'd love to, Blaine. I can be there whenever you want me."

Blaine sighed in relief. "Great. Um, I guess maybe an hour or so if that works for you?"

"Sure. I'll see you then, Blaine."

"Bye, Dr. Tyson."

Blaine grinned, suddenly overcome with a giddy sensation.

* * *

Dr. Tyson came over for coffee every day that week when his shift ended, and even stayed for dinner a few nights, too. By the end of the week, he had even convinced Blaine to start calling him Andrew.

"So, you're officially off bed rest in a few days, right?" Andrew asked at dinner Friday night.

"Yeah, finally," Blaine said.

"Are you going to be going back to the stage?"

Both Kurt and Rachel perked up at this question. Neither had been brave enough to ask Blaine, but both desperately wanted to know.

"I'm not sure," Blaine said. "I mean, I still can't do anything too strenuous. I might try and get a job at NYADA or something until I can really commit to a show again."

"Of course," Andrew agreed. "That sounds like a really good idea."

* * *

Blaine ended up getting a job in NYADA's recruitment office. It was a lot of sitting around, but he liked it better than the record store job.

He found that he had a lot of downtime during his first months after the surgery. During that time, Blaine found that he had another form of catharsis even more powerful than music: writing.

It all started on a whim when Blaine passed a young girl on the street who looked a lot like plenty of kids he had known. He started creating a story for her that was more than slightly influenced by his own. Before he knew it, he had written over fifty pages. It was raw and emotional and definitely hard, but it felt good.

As Blaine developed his story more, he found himself once again in contact with Melody. He began asking her about the workings of the foster care system. As he learned more, he began to feel guilty for the resentment he had always held for Melody. Her job wasn't easy or fun, but she really had tried her hardest.

He also started talking with other kids that had been at Greenway while he was there and a few who were still in the system. Blaine meticuously recorded their experiences.

Five months after Blaine's surgery, he got a role in a new play. It was only a workshop at the time, but the producers had high hopes for it – perhaps even Broadway. It was a simple love story at it's core, but there was nothing trite or tired about it.

Blaine frequently talked with the playwright, who was still working out a few kinks in the story, during breaks. The man, Brian, taught Blaine about the process of writing a story and a script and how to make it come alive. Eventually, when Blaine gained enough confidence in his work, he showed Brian what he had. It wasn't much, just his original story and part of a script that he had written based upon it.

Just before opening night, Brian spoke to Blaine about the story.

"Are you planning on doing anything with your script?" Brian asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked. Honestly, he had only written it as a way to come to terms with his own emotions.

"I mean, it's good. Really good. And I think that you could actually see this produced."

"Really?" Blaine asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, Blaine. I have a couple friends who might be interested. Let me know when you finish the script and I can pass it on to them."

Blaine nodded numbly and watched as Brian walked away.

* * *

On opening night, everyone that Blaine loved sat in the audience: Mark, Elise, Callie, Ethan, Melanie, Adam, Cathy, Jack, Andrew, Rachel, and, most importantly, Kurt. He basked in their praises at dinner after the show, but made no mention of Brian's offer.

Kurt, however, did notice a change in Blaine over the next few weeks. When Blaine wasn't at the theatre, he was in his room, typing madly on his computer. He would meet up with Brian every other week to discuss the script. Finally, Kurt confronted Blaine.

"What's going on with you lately?" Kurt asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I never see you anymore, Blaine. You're always at your show, or locked in our room, or out with Brian! Is something going on?"

"What? No, Kurt! I'm just – busy! I thought you'd understand how exhausting doing a show every night can be!"

"Of course I understand, Blaine," Kurt said gently. "But I'm worried about you. I miss you. We barely talk anymore."

Blaine's demeanor softened. "I'm sorry, Kurt. Really, I am. But I just – there's something that I really want to make happen, and it's taking a lot of time."

"Can you tell me what it is?"

Blaine shook his head. "I want to, Kurt. But I don't want to jinx this. But I promise that I'll tell you if anything comes of it, okay?"

* * *

Blaine's show closed at the end of August. Around the same time, he also finished his script. Brian sent it off to one of his friends, and Blaine prepared to wait. As it turns out, however, he didn't have to wait long.

Brian was desperately pounding on the apartment door less than a week later. Kurt opened it, looking very confused and tired.

"Is Blaine here?" Brian asked.

Kurt nodded and pointed to the kitchen. Brian didn't even wait for an invitation, he just ran to the room.

"Blaine! AJ just called me. He read over your script last night, and he loves it! He's going to try to sell it to a couple producers."

"What does that mean?" Blaine asked, scared to get his hopes up.

"It means that they want to make it into a movie!"

"Oh my god!" Blaine shouted. He jumped up and hugged Brian tightly. "This is fantastic. I don't even – I mean, what am I supposed to do now?"

"Pray that it all goes well."

* * *

When Brian finally left the apartment, Kurt stared at Blaine with a bemused expression on his face. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Care to tell me what all that was about?"

"Remember how you asked me what was going on a few months ago?" Blaine began. Kurt nodded, but didn't interrupt. "Well, I started writing when I couldn't do anything too strenuous. And it became really calming. But soon it turned into a story, and then I started just writing it as a script, and then I met Brian. And we talked about writing a lot, and I started showing him my stuff. He thought it was really good, and he sent it to one of his friends who I guess wants to produce it."

Kurt was speechless. "You wrote a movie?" he finally managed to say.

Blaine blushed. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"I'm so proud of you," Kurt said, walking up to Blaine and kissing him. "I always knew you were going to do something great."


	13. The Lives We Hide

Things moved incredibly quickly from that point on. AJ, Brian's friend, became Blaine's agent and representation. He managed to score a dream deal, and the whole process was thrown into pre-production before the end of the year.

At Christmas, Blaine and his entire family – Mark, Elise, Callie, Ethan, Melanie, and Andrew – got together in Ohio. He excitedly broke the news to them.

Blaine flew out to Los Angeles with Kurt just after the new year and he sat in on a few rounds of auditions. He didn't want to direct the film, but he had still wanted to have some level of influence over the process. It took countless auditions before a girl walked in, looking as if she had accidentally stepped off the street and like she didn't belong there at all. Blaine instantly knew that she was perfect for the lead role, a girl named Charlotte. Charlotte was a combination of Blaine and Ethan and Kurt and every other boy and girl that had been through the system.

Blaine was thrilled when the casting director and producers also liked Blaine's girl. He knew that his script was in good hands, but finally seeing elements of it come to life reassured him all the same.

The four months spent filming the movie were hard on Blaine. He wanted to be on set as much as possible, but also wanted to be with Kurt. Kurt couldn't leave New York because he was working. Suddenly, Kurt and Blaine were thrust into a situation much like Blaine's junior year all over again. But this time they were strong and knew not to let anything get in their way.

* * *

When the film wrapped, Blaine returned to New York. Brian's show was being picked up again, and after a bit of revision, it would be gracing the stages of Broadway. The director insisted that Blaine reprise his role, so Blaine almost forgot about his movie in the sudden flurry of activity in New York.

Life was perfect, for the first time that Blaine could remember. He and Kurt lived together, not too far from Rachel and her boyfriend of the minute. Andrew was about half an hour away, and Melanie and the Warrens were always just a phone call away. Both Blaine and Kurt were starring in Broadway shows and living the lives they'd always dreamed of.

Six months after the film wrapped, Blaine flew back to LA to see a rough cut of the movie. It was perfect, better than anything he could have ever imagined. But there was something missing.

Over two thousand miles away, in New York City, Kurt and Rachel's phones chimed simultaneously. They opened their emails to find sheet music and a request from Blaine.

Can you two quick record this and send it to me?

Neither was sure what Blaine was asking, but they both agreed.

At his next meeting with the editors, Blaine played his song. They loved it and agreed that it was perfect for the film. Blaine grinned indulgently as he was allowed to call Kurt and Rachel and break the news to them.

"Guess what?" Blaine said when he had them both on the line. "I just talked with the editors and they want you two to come out to LA and record the song I wrote for the movie!"

"What?" Rachel screeched.

"That's amazing!" Kurt said.

"It'll just take a weekend. Can you guys make it?"

"Of course," Rachel immediately answered. "Stars like us always have to be ready to pull something together in a pinch."

Blaine laughed appreciatively. Rachel had not slowed down or mellowed out at all since high school.

Blaine flew back to New York with Kurt and Rachel after they recorded the song, but didn't pick back up on Broadway. He would be leaving again soon for the press tour for the movie. Instead he spent a few weeks enjoying the anonymity that came with no one knowing his whole life story. Soon, that would be shattered.

* * *

Since Ted, the director, was quite well-known and respected in the industry, and a few of the actors were also household names, the film was getting a bit of buzz. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to know more about the man behind the story.

Blaine wasn't at all prepared for the first television interview he did.

"Coming up in just a few minutes is the brilliant young mind behind the year's buzziest films. After the break, we're going to be asking newcomer to the scene and NYADA graduate Blaine Anderson all the tough questions about his new film," Rita Hayworth, a popular talk show host announced to her audience.

Blaine started to sweat at her words. It was highly unusual for the screenwriter to do press for the film, but due to the highly personal nature of the content, AJ and Ted insisted that Blaine had to be the public face.

It seemed like it was only seconds later when Rita introduced him to her 200 person live audience and the thousands of visitors at home.

"So Blaine," Rita began, "this is your first film project, correct?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. I did a bit of theatre in New York and I just left a run of a really fantastic show on Broadway, but this is my first foray into Hollywood."

"It's remarkable that for someone so young, your film is getting this much publicity. What's your secret?"

"Well, it's an honest story. It comes from a place of pain and heartbreak - and love. Everything there is so raw and real than everyone can relate to it. It also helps that we have the best director and cast out there." Blaine was shocked at how composed he sounded.

"Now, The Lives We Hide is about a young girl who is stuck in the foster care system. How did you decide on the concept?"

Blaine laughed nervously. "Well, I was raised in orphanages and foster homes," he said.

Rita looked shocked. Obviously AJ had been able to keep the big secret.

"It was rough and not the least bit fun," Blaine continued. "But I made it out. Then, a few years ago, I found my birth mother online, and later I found my birth father – purely by accident, of course. It was a really emotional time, and I wasn't allowed to express myself in my normal ways, so I started writing down all my emotions. Somewhere in there, Charlotte – she's the main character – emerged. Her story isn't exactly mine. But it is one hundred percent true. I talked with my old social worker and kids at the group home that I used to live in to form her."

"Wow, Blaine, that is really amazing. It's brave of you to bear your soul like that," Rita commented. "Can you tell us more about why you couldn't express yourself?"

"Oh," Blaine said. "Well, it's a pretty long story. I guess I'll give you the condensed version. I was working on an off-Broadway production of Footloose back in New York, but the stress and strain exacerbated my heart condition. I wasn't allowed to do any strenuous activity for over a year. I managed to get a heart transplant, and in those first weeks back home, I decided I needed to occupy my hands again. If I couldn't dance and sing, I could at least write."

"And you did a fantastic job of writing," Rita said, segueing into showing a clip from the movie. When it ended, she asked Blaine a few more questions about the film, but Blaine knew he was almost done.

"Well, there you have it, folks," Rita said to wrap up the interview, "the heartbreaking tale of how a young boy made it out of an Ohio orphanage and into the Hollywood spotlight. Remember to catch his film, The Lives We Hide, in theatres next week."

As the cameras turned off of Blaine, he slouched in his seat.

"Good job, hun," Rita whispered to Blaine as he shakily got to his feet.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "You know, I've performed on Broadway plenty of times, but nothing was as stressful as that."

"Get used to it, kid. Reporters are going to eat up your story."

* * *

And they did.

Over the next few weeks, Blaine found himself talking more about his own experiences in foster care than about his film. The film publicists didn't mind – as long as people were interested in Blaine, they would go to see the movie – but Blaine felt incredibly uncomfortable as the public pieced together his entire history. Well, most of it. There were certain events that Blaine refused to ever mention to any member of the press.

People from Blaine's past were also suddenly popping up. When Blaine went to Columbus for a bit of publicity, the interviewer there claimed to have talked to his "surrogate parents" when he was young.

Apparently one of Blaine's foster families had recognized him and decided to cash in on his fame. Unfortunately, they didn't count on Blaine's harsh yet unaltered memories of his days in foster care.

"Believe me, the first foster family to treat me like I was a real person was also the last family I was with. They are the ones thatwon't be coming forward to cash in on this. They are the ones that I consider to be my mom and dad."

"So, are you saying that you were mistreated in your previous foster homes?"

Blaine hesitated. This was one of the things he had always left out.

"In the film, Charlotte has to deal with some very unfortunate foster parents. Were they based on your real experiences?"

Blaine could see AJ urging him on from the audience. "Yes," he finally admitted. "It's not common, but it does happen. Unfortunately, I fell victim to negligent – and abusive – foster parents on more than one occasion."

* * *

At another interview, Blaine was asked about his family.

"You have said previously that you consider your last set of foster parents your mom and dad. How do your birth parents feel about that?"

"They gave me up when I was born. They expected me to consider other people my parents. And to clarify, I do not consider myself to be an orphan, but I also would not say that there is anyone in my life who I call 'mom' or 'dad'. I have parental figures – but they are also close friends."

"Do you resent your birth parents for giving you up?"

"They know exactly how I feel. I spent my childhood divided by hating them and wishing they'd come rescue me. But we have built a relationship that has incorporated all three of our families and is very strong and loving."

Blaine knew that he wasn't giving the reporters everything they wanted, but he couldn't stand to air all of his old dirty laundry.

* * *

Unknowingly, Blaine provided the biggest fuel for reporters at the premiere. He and Kurt emerged from a limo and walked down the red carpet hand in hand.

Suddenly, all the reporters cared about was if Blaine was gay and how his families had reacted.

Blaine was never more thankful for Kurt's presence when the older man guided him away from the reporters.

* * *

The Lives We Hide earned rave reviews in newspapers and magazines across the country. Kurt and Rachel even got a bit of the spotlight for their song (Kurt more so than Rachel because he was 'involved' with Blaine). Reviewers were calling it the best film of the year and one of the most honest stories they'd ever had the pleasure to see in theatres.

But that was nothing compared to the calls that Blaine received from his family and friends.

He and Ethan spent over an hour on skype after Ethan saw the movie. Callie, Mark, and Elise raved about it to all of their friends, and made sure to call Blaine every time they thought of something else they loved about it. Melanie saw it alone for the first time, and then with Adam and the kids. She cried through the whole movie. She told Blaine all about how Jack and Kathy were proudly bragging to all their friends that their brother was a movie star. Andrew took his girlfriend to see the movie, without telling her about any of his emotional connection. When he also broke down in the theatre, he'd had to explain the whole story to a very confused, but sympathetic, woman.

Blaine didn't return to New York immediately after his press tour. He first made a stop in Sidney, Ohio and the Greenway house.

* * *

Walking up to the front door was like being a kid again. But Blaine no longer recognized the kids running around Greenway's yard. It was a bittersweet moment for him as he realized he no longer fit in the place he had so desperately wanted to escape.

"Blaine!" Mrs. Hanson called as soon as Blaine walked through the door.

Blaine greeted her with a wide smile and they embraced tightly.

"You still haven't grown, I see," she joked.

"The place looks fantastic, Mrs. H."

"We miss you around here. None of the kids seem to like helping out as much as you did."

"Well, I was a weird kid."

She smiled nostalgically and led him to her office.

"I want to take you, the staff, and all the kids to see the movie," Blaine blurted out.

"What?"

"I know that it's probably a bit too close to home for some of the kids here, but I think it's really important to show them that it gets better."

"Blaine, you don't have -"

"I know," Blaine interrupted the woman. "I want to. Plus, I've already rented out an entire theatre for all of you, so it'd be really awkward if no one showed up."

As Mrs. Hanson gathered up the kids, Blaine walked upstairs to the dorm. Everything was the same as it had been for the past 25 years. Blaine crouched down beside the bed that he had occupied for so many nights. Sure enough, scratched on the side, were two small letters: BA.

* * *

Blaine returned to New York after his visit to Ohio. Things seemed to settle down for a while. He was cast as the replacement for Raoul in Phantom, and enjoyed the rush that came with performing in Broadway's longest-running musical every night.

When the awards season buzz started in November, Blaine was shocked to hear his name tossed around a few times – for original screenplay and original song. He refused to put too much stock in any of the rumors, but that wasn't true for the rest of New York.

In the first week of December, Blaine was invited to appear on Good Morning America. It was just a couple weeks before Golden Globe nominations would be announced, and The Lives We Hide was just being released on DVD.

"So, what do you think about your Golden Globe chances?" the host asked him.

"Honestly? I refuse to even consider it a possibility."

"Why not? Everyone else seems to think you have it in the bag."

"It's just a reflex that I've built up from childhood. I never let myself get too excited about anything – that way, I won't be disappointed when – if – it falls through."

Blaine could see the sadness in the host's eyes, and regretted allowing himself to be so frank.

"Well, if it counts for anything, I think you've got yourself a nomination at the very least."

* * *

Two weeks later, Blaine woke up not to his alarm like he usually did, but to Kurt squealing, tackling him and thoroughly tangling both of them in the sheets.

"W'as goin' on?" Blaine asked blearily, eyes darting around to see if there was a reason for Kurt's early morning assault.

"Look," Kurt said, shoving his phone at Blaine. "Look!"

Blaine rubbed his eyes, but obediently read the article on Kurt's phone.

_Golden Globe Nominees Announced_

_The Golden Globes have announced their nominees for this year's awards._

_**Best Picture, Drama**_

_The Lives We Hide_

_**Best Director**_

_Ted Holden, The Lives We Hide_

_**Best Screenplay**_

_Blaine Anderson, The Lives We Hide_

_**Best Original Song**_

_"Dear" - Written by Blaine Anderson, Performed by Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry_

Blaine's eyes widened.

He read the article again.

He had two Golden Globe nominations.

Two.

And Kurt had one too! Plus, the best picture and director nods!

"Oh. My. God," he whispered.

"I know!" Kurt squealed. He immediately jumped back on Blaine and began to shower him with kisses. "This is unbelievable!"

Blaine spent the morning fielding phone calls and interviews. Kurt also received attention, but most of it was focused on Blaine. By the end of the day, both men were exhausted – and they hadn't even left the apartment. They called in take out and ended up falling asleep in front of the TV.

* * *

It was a clear January day in LA, and Kurt, Rachel, Blaine, and the entire TLWH crew were walking the Golden Globes red carpet. Blaine, instead of bringing Kurt as his date, had also invited Melanie and Andrew. Mark and Elise had been his first choices, but they had to work and couldn't leave Callie and their newest foster daughter, Hannah, alone in Ohio. Everyone was curious as to who the people with Blaine were, but they managed to preserve their privacy.

Once seated at their table, Blaine could barely eat or drink. He spent the whole night clutching Kurt's hand tightly. As each category was called, Blaine grew more and more tense. Finally, the presenter for Best Screenplay walked out.

"This year's nominees for best screenplay cover a variety of topics. From youth in foster care to political scandal and magic to romance, there is no shortage of creativity or talent sitting in this room. The nominees are..."

"For The Lives We Hide, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine could hear the applause and felt Kurt's hand tighten in his. He barely heard anything else.

"And the Golden Globe goes to … Blaine Anderson."

There was an uproar at the table. Blaine hadn't heard a word though. He probably wouldn't have even realized he had won if Kurt hadn't kissed him and whispered the news in his ear.

Numbly, Blaine got up from his seat and stumbled to the front of the ballroom. Blaine walked up the steps of the stage, ears deaf to the thunderous applause. He shook the presenters' hands and accepted the statuette before approaching the mic.

"Wow," he said, finally regaining control of his brain. "Um, I actually really didn't expect to win this. I was just beyond honored to be even considered among these other men and women. So thanks. Um, well, I have a ton of people to thank – Brian, for helping me gain confidence in my writing; AJ, for believing in my story; Ted, for bringing my story to the screen so beautifully; and the entire cast and crew. You all were more amazing than anything I could have ever dreamed of. I also want to thank Melody, who was mysocial worker when I was a kid. I'd also like to apologize for how much I resented you back then. I never understood how difficult your job was.

"Now it gets a bit complicated. I want to thank Mark and Elise, my first real mom and dad, who have stuck with me since I was sixteen – longer than almost anyone else. Thanks to Callie and Ethan who are the best siblings I could have ever asked for. And, of course, my mother and father, Melanie and Andrew. I'm so glad I found you guys.

"Most importantly, I want – need – to thank the most kind, caring, generous, talented, and handsome man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Kurt, you have inspired me since the day I met you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now – in any sense of the word. You all have kept me alive.

"Lastly, I want to send a special message to all the kids at Greenway and in the system across the country. I know it sucks better than anyone else in this room. And I know this sounds cliché, but it does get better. So hang in there. I made it through some of the worst parts of the system and am thankful every day."

Blaine smiled at the crowd and wiped his tears. He walked off the stage to thunderous applause.

When Blaine returned to his seat, the first thing he did was kiss Kurt deeply before thinking about what had just happened.

"Oh my God," he said in sudden realization. "I just won a Golden Globe."

Kurt and his other seating companions laughed. Melanie and Andrew hugged him tightly.

The Lives We Hide didn't win any other awards that night, but Blaine didn't care. He wouldn't have minded not winning at all. Just the fact that he had made it there – that he wasn't living on some street in Ohio or dead – meant more than any award.

* * *

Well, this is the end of continuous stories about Kurt and Blaine in the "Searching" verse. I do have a few one shots set in the future written which I will begin to publish under the title, "Building A Family" I would love any prompts for anything you want to hear more about either before, during, or after these stories.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
